A Montgomery County man is in custody after police believe he came dangerously close to kidnapping a young girl after she got off the school bus.
Jose DeLeon, 33, has been charged with attempted kidnapping by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
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Just before 3:45 p.m. on Feb. 5, MCSO deputies received a call from a concerned citizen who believed they witnessed a near kidnapping.
The caller said they were driving behind a school bus as it dropped off an 11-year-old in the Magnolia area. The caller saw a man exit the passenger’s side of a nearby pickup truck and quickly cross the street towards the child. The man attempted to talk to the girl, but she was visibly upset and ran towards her house.
The witness intervened, yelling at the man. Clearly alarmed, he rushed back into his truck and sped away. The caller followed the suspect’s vehicle for long enough to document his license plate number and report it to authorities.
Deputies traced the license plate number back to DeLeon, and he was taken into custody.
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our children,” Montgomery County Sheriff Wesley Doolittle said in a statement announcing the arrest. “Thanks to an alert citizen and fast-acting deputies, this suspect is behind bars. I encourage parents to talk to their children about safety awareness and remind everyone if you see something, say something.”
